PAPAMOA SUNBURN VICTIM BLAMES "SNEAKY" SEPTEMBER SUN, NOT THE FOUR-HOUR NAP ON THE BEACH
Bloke from Milson went on holiday up north. Came back the colour of a stop sign.
A Milson man on a short break in Papamoa has returned home with second-degree sunburn after falling asleep on the sand for what he insists was "twenty minutes, max".
Dean Falealili, 54, told The Daily Yarn the sun had "snuck up" on him during the first sunny Tuesday of the year. "I shut my eyes for a sec. Next thing the missus is standing over me going, mate, you're done."
His wife Lina said she'd left him at 11am with a book and a Powerade. She came back at 3pm. "He hadn't moved. The book was on his face. The Powerade was warm. He looked like a ham."
A chemist on Papamoa Beach Road said it had been steady all afternoon. "Bay of Plenty people know. It's the out-of-towners. You can pick a Palmy bloke from the door — they think September sun is decorative."
Falealili is back in Milson, sitting on a towel, and says he'll be "right by Friday". Lina says he will not. The book, a Lee Child, is also cooked.
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Reader Letters
sunny_sue
LOL, classic Palmy!
JaredFromPapamoa
Honestly, who falls asleep on a beach for hours? Take some responsibility, mate. It's classic kiwi sun—sneaky as ever, but also very predictable.
Sienna_Papamoa
These out-of-towners always underestimate the Papamoa UV. Happened to my cousin at New Year’s. Although to be fair, they were sipping rosé all day too.
Garry (Halswell)
Back in my day, we used sunscreen like it was going out of fashion. None of this blaming the sun nonsense.
Nancy_LvrsUnite
@Garry Back in your day, there was probably less ozone hole too, eh?
Pamela_Wood
In Milson, we barely see the sun long enough to get burnt. Unlucky, Dean.
Sceptical_Tory
Twenty minutes? Mate, that's not how the sun works! Try four hours next time!
beachreads_realist
Should have used the book as a shade rather than a pillow, right Lina?